Enginyer Square
Granollers
The new square is the result of the extension of the existing one thanks to the transfer by the City Council of the plot resulting from the demolition of an old house.
The presence of a large porch, at a different level from the plot and the street, enriched the design process.
One of the main objectives of the proposal was to eliminate the architectural barriers to make the entire public space accessible to all, as well as revitalize the porch that was totally disused. The previous scheme of flower beds, sidewalks and lanes of vehicles around the square is replaced by a plan of colored concrete pieces that develops between vegetable carpets, linking the different levels of the public space.
Preserving and strengthening the existing vegetation was the argument that helped us position the four large strips of vegetation, which are related at the same time to the cadence of pillars that limit the porch, ordering this way the space of the square. We delimit the strips of vegetation with a series of corten steel lines that cross the square transversely. As if it was an origami game, the steel strips fold up creating a range of urban furniture elements such as sides, bicycle parking lots, bins, street lamps…
All the elements of street furniture, formerly dispersed, are now arranged in clear lines which set and order the public space.
| Location | Granollers |
| Year | 2003 |
| Completion date | 2005–2006 |
| Surface | 1.610 m² |
| Budget | 613.408 € |
| Promoter | Ajuntament de Granollers |
| Constructor | Serxarsa |
| Team | Sònia Serra, architecture. MIF associats, quantity surveyor. Proisotec, facilities engineering. |
| Publications | Selected at 4th Biennal Architecture of Vallès |
Residential High-Rise
Natal, Brasil
The developer’s will is to create a unique building within the new general complex of a total of 620 residential units. The housing typology has been crucial in determining the general geometry of the building.
Typologically, the units have been conceived with ingredients belonging to high-rise dwellings plus the privileges of a ground floor house in contact with the land. This consideration led to the distribution of 3 units per floor, which open up in a fan shape and seek the views and the best orientation in all the rooms, without giving up autonomy and privacy.
Typologically, the units have been conceived with ingredients belonging to high-rise dwellings plus the privileges of a ground floor house in contact with the land.
The skeleton or structure of the building is brought to the outermost level of the facade, creating exterior spaces protected from solar radiation. In this case, the structure becomes the protagonist, giving a strong character to the final image of the building. It has been applied with great rigor and rationality on all the upper floors and transforming itself into powerful W-shaped concrete screens on the first two floors in contact with the ground. This transition is important as we concentrate the loads at few points in order to minimize the cost of deep foundations.
| Location | Santa Rita, Natal |
| Year | 2006 |
| Surface | 14.373 m² |
| Promoter | GRW Brasil |
| Team | Gorka Álvarez, Mar Escala, architecture. Xavier Aguado, structure engineering. Proisotec facilities engineering. Carlos Ortega 72 dpi rendering. |